Stoke City face an uphill task when they visit White Hart Lane this weekend to face Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs have been brilliant at home so far in the league, collecting 32 points from 12 games, which is second best only to Chelsea. Stoke’s away form, on the other hand, hasn’t been very encouraging as the Potters have collected only 12 points from 12 away games.
Defence
Lee Grant will take his position under the bar as Hughes’ first choice keeper, Jack Butland, continues to recover from his broken ankle. The 34-year-old has conceded just 24 goals in his 22 appearances and with Tottenham expected to come all guns blazing, Hughes will hugely rely on him.
Hughes opted to rest some first team players in their last win against Crystal Palace and we expect the Potters to have a strong squad this time. Erik Pieters will start as the left-back with Glenn Johnson on the right. The English international replaced Phil Bardsley in the second half last time and we expect him to start this time.
Hughes is likely to stick with his central defensive duo of Bruno Martins Indi and Ryan Shawcross. The defensive duo has been impenetrable at times, complementing each other quite well.
Midfield
Hughes opted to start with Glenn Whelan in the anchor position last game alongside Charlie Adam and the Irish midfielder could help very little when the team were on the counter. We expect the boss to start with Gianelli Imbula this time in place of him. The French international brings in fluidity to the side and his work rate allows Adam to find space to play up the perfect crosses.
Joe Allen is likely to take the number 10 role behind the striker. The Wales international has scored six goals and three assists for the Potters so far, which is the highest. It was his 67th-minute strike that got them the slim victory over a resilient Crystal Palace side last game.
Forward
The absence of Xherdan Shaqiri has been a huge miss for Hughes and the attacking third looked aimless at times against Palace. The manager opted for Egyptian Ramadan Sobhi in the last game and it didn’t go as planned. We expect the experienced Ibrahim Afellay to take the left wing this time alongside Marko Arnautovic, who should start on the right flank.
Peter Crouch will once again take his position up front. Against the likes of Vertonghen and Alderweireld, Crouch’s aerial skills could come in handy.
Crouch
Afellay – Allen – Arnautovic
Imbulla – Adam
Pieters – Indi – Shawcross – Johnson
Grant
